NFL: Chris Henry was involved in ANOTHER problem? Ironically, it was right before his 8-game suspension was supposed to be lifted. It's like spitting in the face of the parole board the night before your release from prison.

Looks like Roger Clemens is ready to retire: His agent told the Astros that he wants to pursue his personal-services deal with the team. Presumably, if the Astros were contenders next season, Clemens would contemplate coming out of retirement (for a price, of course).

MLB Hot Stove: Is Tom Glavine going back to the Braves? That would be kind of cool, actually.

The Yankees' new Boss makes a statement: Hammerin' Hank says that the Yankees' "Big Three" of young pitching (Chamberlain, Hughes, Kennedy) are untouchable in trades. What a difference a generation makes.

CFB Tonight: Louisville at West Virginia. I said this in my Deadspin post this week: Remember in August when you looked ahead to this game and thought the winner was going to be a lock to be one half of the national-championship pairing? Louisville kind of mucked that up, but it still represents a big game: If UL pulls the upset, it pulls WVU from the BCS discussion for good; if WVU wins, even though UL isn't exactly a high-quality opponent this year, beating them has the cachet of a high-quality win. Pick: West Virginia.

Reminder: Head on over to my blog at coachoftheyear.com (a special partnership between me and the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award) and have your say as the LMCOY race heads into its final stretch. Do you agree with my assessment that Mark Mangino should be leading the race right now? Go to the LMCOY blog and leave a comment.

NBA Wrap: Hey, maybe the Hawks' solid preseason WAS foreshadowing of a team on the rise. Atlanta beat Phoenix (Phoenix! Albeit without Amare), attributed mainly to strong rebounding (if so, give credit to rookie Al Horford, who had 15 rebounds and already looks like a top rebounding power forward).

Meanwhile, the Celtics' Big Three is every bit as good (and dominant) as fans had thought (even expected) them to be. Another night, another win. Plus: Deron Williams is Utah's hero against the LeBrons.

Durant Watch: 17 points on 3/17 FG shooting (ouch!) and yet another Sonics loss. Good thing it's not about the wins and losses this year for Seattle, just developing Durant and getting ready for the move.

NHL Milestone Watch: Mike Modano breaks the all-time scoring record for US-born players. I'm still trying to figure out how/why this matters, aside from highlighting that hockey isn't really a US sport.

Olympics: So China says that, in fact, Bibles will NOT be banned in the Olympic Village next year. That's nice to know.

Strat-O-Matic '86 Update: No game last night. Series resumes against the Cardinals tonight.

Not to mention 2 straight sell outs at home for the Hawks. This was in the AP's recap of the game:"After Horford made a mistake at the defensive end, coach Mike Woodson called the first-round pick over for a quick lecture. “He’s a rookie,” one fan yelled. Then another, clearly a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, chimed in, “Come on, he’s from Florida.” Woodson smiled at that one. "

PV845, I don't think minutes are going to be a big issue. The big three played 30, 33, and 36 minutes last night. They only time any of them has eclipsed the 40 minute mark this season was the OT game against Toronto. In other words, their minutes are no different then any other starter's minutes in the league. What you don't understand is that all three of these guys are used to going it alone every night. Where every single play would run through them. What is going on now is like a vacation for all three of them.

And it's not like Rovell is actually predicting that 40%, he's simply stating the opinion of a fantasy "guru" so it wouldn't be Rovell that is wrong. The fantasy section takes up about 1/10th of that article so to focus on it misses the entire point of the article.

Is it only me who finds it ironic there is more of an uproar over Kentucky losing to a Mid-Major than there was a mere 24 hours ago over a D-II school upsetting Ohio State? At least GW (ha) is a D-I program.

This fully supports my argument yesterday that the gap in hoops from player to player, level to level is marginal at best.

As for the Cetlics, I agree with beetle's analysis. I was at the game last night, and they were absolutely dominant, right from the start. Yes, the tough teams in the West will be a real test, but AI, Carmelo, and K Mart aren't too shabby, and the Ceatles destroyed them.

Come on Cody, Nobody goes on the road to the Texas and comes out 3-0. I bet they do come out 2-1 though. Besides, by the time they make that trip in mid-March, the C's could have close to 50 wins under their belts already.

CM, Agreed regarding Peterson. I have him, LT, AND Marshawn Lynch in my league, and I am just hovering above .500. The first place team has Brady, Moss, and Welker. Of course, that team is going to get crushed this week.

There is no real comparison for the makeup of this Celtics team, so only time will tell whether they can hold up. The Big 3 are playing fewer minutes per game right now than they have in the past, but they're also older now. They sure were impressive last night though.

The biggest difference between the two Big 10 teams losing to DII schools and Kentucky losing last night is that the Kentucky game counts. It is a real game, with real consequences (it will weight out in both of their RPIs all season). So, when tournament seeding time, Kentucky will feel this one. The B10 teams lost in glorified scrimmage games. Unfortunate, yes, but really -- who cares. If they both win their games in the B10/ ACC challenge, or both start out strong, we'll forget the DII practice in short order. But, Kentucky's loss will trail them all season.

But, funny enough, this loss came across as an anomoly, rather than an indictment on SEC basketball. But, the OSU/MSU losses proved the B10 is overrated or something....

If every game is out of reach for the Celts by the 4th quarter, then the Big 3 may be more rested than we expect come April/May.

And by the looks of the East, it's even weaker this season than last. Although I do like that Atlanta looks hungry with a young nucleus. Nice to see a new story in a snooze-fest conference.

Dan, when you mock Modano's record, you are slighting some of the greatest players ever to play the game before him. Remember, before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of Communism in Russia, there weren't any European players in the NHL. It was strictly a Canada/U.S. league.

And with Canadians absolutely dominating the NHL for decades, if you were a Joe Mullen, Pat LaFontaine, or Phil Housley, then you were elite. To be the U.S.-born scoring leader, puts you in a fraternity of players that is very small, but extremely gifted.

And Modano is part of that group of "kids" that are products of the success off the 1980 Olympic team. U.S. hockey took on a whole new competitive expectation after '80. To come out on top of an era that produced guys like Roenick, Chelios, Weight, Tkachuk, and Amonte speaks for itself. The bottom line is the record displays his skill and how he's endured for nearly 2 decades in a very physical sport.

Sorry, but I get a little defensive about criticism of hockey. I too grew up playing in the wake of the 1980's Olympics, and while I don't like how the NHL has declined in a variety of ways in the past decade, I take exception to mocking the merits of a very skilled athlete- hockey or otherwise.

Hockey is a great sport- to play as a kid and come up through the ranks you see how difficult it is to make that next leap to pro. It's a ridiculous chasm- MUCH wider than skill differences between basketball players or even football players. But you don't know that unless you've played, so I (to a degree) understand the ignorance.

What do Fernando Valenzuela, Carlos Zambrano, Andres Galarraga, and Vinny Castillo all have in common? They hold major league records for being the most to do "something" from their respective countries, while playing MLB (an American sport). Modano's record is just as important. He is the leader among a group of very talented US Born players who have come before him. So, he might not be the all-time leader of anything, but he is clearly one of the all-time bests.

The ACC won every single ACC-Big East Challenge back in the day, and also has never lost an ACC-Big Ten Challenge. ACC should win handily this year. The only losses I see are Georgia Tech, NC State and maybe BC. I'd love to see an ACC-SEC or ACC-Pac 10 Challenge.

Jingo - not sure why you think the East looks weaker this season. Is it just because Wiz, Bulls and Heat are starting slow? The Pistons will be a test for the Celtics, and the Magic are on the rise.

voice- I do not dispute the Pistons are good. I just feel the overall depth of the East is pitiful and very limited in bringing anything competitive to the table 1 through 8 (playoff-caliber teams only, I won't even discuss 1 through 15). Which leads me to...

Mark- beating Eastern Conf. playoff teams from a year ago is not saying much. And the other team was Denver, an also-ran in the West. Hey, I like the Celtics, am New England born and bred, but I am still waiting to see this team's results around, say, Christmas before I pass judgment.

Jingo - I think I agree with you. I think up top the East can compete with the West. At the bottom, I think this year the West has more truly bad teams than the East. But in the middle (playoff seeds 5-8 plus teams hanging around outside the playoffs), I agree that the West is better and therefore deeper.

I'm not passing judgement and marking down a spot in the finals for them or anything but the fact is they have looked impressive in the three games they've played. Of course it's way to early too predict how the rest of the season is going to play out and I'm not saying otherwise.

Jingoist, Yes, you should wait til Christmas to pass judgment, but you should start watching every game right now. Based on their schedule, the C's COULD be 20-5 by Christmas. That's not a prediction, but I'd be pretty shocked if they were below 16-9.

beetle- make no mistake, I do watch them. Again, I'm a New England guy- I watch my teams Game 1's, Game 16's, Game 82's, Game 162's, and everything in between. Not a fairweather bone in my body. Hell, I even watch the Bruins!

jingo, I praise you, I am a huge Hockey fan and at this time I have trouble sitting through a Bruins game. It kills me to watch them be this bad. I really hope Chirelli starts making some trades and gets someone who can score a goal.

Plus I do not know about you but I do not like the new NHL. There is not enough hitting.

When I imagine Ashley Judd, her personal feelings rarely come into play. Just saying.

By the way, anyone think a Fantasy team featuring Willie Parker, Larry Fitzgerald, Donald Driver, Santana Moss, Peyton Manning, Thomas Jones, and Vincent Jackson would have looked good at the beginning of the year? Oops! Good thing I got Marshawn Lynch to head my keepers next year.

By the way. Who would you rather have? A-Rod for 30 million per year or Miguel Cabrera for 12 million per year?

I could be wrong - wouldn't be the first time. They played for 2 or 3 years, and I thought the ACC always won. Maybe not. Either way, the ACC-Big Ten thing has got to go if the Big Ten is never going to win.

I think Dan like most gator fans do not expect much out of them this year. Let's face it we lost five guys who played amazing together. It wouldn't be much of a shock if we lost to a team like GW. I dont know about the rest of Gator nation but I figure if we make the tournament and flame out the first weekend the season will have been a success. Even i am not so big a homer to think they stand at chance at a 3peat.

Between Cabrera and ARod, I take ARod. No one is going to tune in to the cable network or buy tickets just to come see Cabrera. ARod will generate more in revenue than he does in wins (especially in the post season....).

The ACC likes the Big 10 challenge because it helps them reach markets they otherwise wouldn't (like adding BC and Miami). Illinois and Indiana are to college BB what Florida and Texas are to FB. Add in Detroit and Minneapolis, and the ACC is getting some great exposure in new markets. And, if you think every kid knows "Duke and UNC", it's not as true as you think. Yeah, I saw them in the tourney as a kid (I think 3 final 4's and a championship when I was in HS), but the regularly televised games there were always B10 schools. I maybe saw 5 Duke games a year, and 25 Illinois games (not by choice!).

Finally, I agree on Florida losing a lot off of their championship teams so expectations should be shifted. Dan doesn't give the same leeway to the Ohio State basketball team (trashing them yesterday) or even the same credit to the football team (they're probably better this year with only 2 seniors). Great teams have to rebuild sometimes. Great programs always reload.

I would be really surprised if the Red Sox sign A-Rod. They won 2 World Series while the Yanks didn't win one with A-Rod. You might say that was pitching and not hitting. However the Red Sox were able to afford one more pitcher since they didn't have A-Rod's salary. You could also make the argument if A-Rod didn't flame out in the postseason, Yanks would have advanced.

Interesting that the Yanks have never won with Mattingly as a player or coach. Will they win it all the first year after Mattingly leaves as a coach since they won in 96, the first year after he left as a player?

Hey Travis, Sorry, I should have clarified that I understood and agreed with you. I don't want you to think my mocking tone was directed at you. If I was Theo, I wouldn't trade either Clay or Jacoby for Cabrera, never mind both of them. Clay's stuff is just silly, and his fastball is only going to gain MPHs as he matures.

Now you pose an interesting dilemma for me. I went to HS near Mattingly's hometown and have always been a huge fan. I really wanted to see him win a championship.

Before your post, my 2nd greatest baseball wish was for the Yankees to win the World Series in the first year post ARod, as a great screw you to him. But, I now am a bit more ambivalent. I would hate for Donnie Baseball to miss out on this right now too. Especially not if that will be the perception.

I get sick and tired of the constant hockey jokes. Do people even know what they are mocking when they mock it? It seems that hockey has become such an easy joke, that I honestly wonder if anyone who cracks a joke about it has watched it or been to a game.

Mike Modano's record is a great feat. Some of the names he has passed on his way to the top of the list are legends and an integral part of the NHL's past success.

Obvoiusly no one will ever break Wayne Gretzky's scoring marks. So to be the top American scorer, is quite an honor I'd say.

Not that I expect you to stop your stereotypical jokes to acknowledge that.

David Stern says the NBA will not return to Seattle if the Sonics leave. Well fuck Mr. Stern and fuck his league. Association. Whatever. If the NBA wasn't dead to me from the Amare/Diaw SNAFU, then it would be now.

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.